Used in almost every cuisine across the world, spinach is an enormously popular green vegetable…

handful fresh coriander, chopped

chapatis or basmati rice, to serve (optional)

Method

Put the chicken in a medium bowl. Mix in the lime juice, paprika, chilli powder and a grinding of black pepper (step 1), then leave to marinate for at least 15 mins, preferably a bit longer.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick wok or sauté pan. Tip in the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, whole chilli and cumin seeds, and stir-fry briefly just to colour and release their fragrance (step 2). Stir in the onion, garlic and ginger and fry over a medium-high heat for 3-4 mins until the onion starts to turn brown. Add the remaining oil, then drop in the chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 mins or until it no longer looks raw. Mix the turmeric, cumin, ground coriander and garam masala together. Tip into the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 mins (step 3). Pour in the passata and 150ml water, then drop in the chunks of pepper. When starting to bubble, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the chicken is tender.

Stir in the tomato, simmer for 2-3 mins, then add the spinach and turn it over in the pan to just wilt. Season with a little salt. If you want to thin down the sauce, splash in a little more water. Remove the cinnamon stick, chilli and cardamom pods, if you wish, before serving. Scatter with fresh coriander and serve with warm chapatis or basmati rice, if you like.

Recipe Tip

How to make it healthier

Angela makes her balti healthier by: Using sunflower oil instead of ghee; Frying in a non-stick wok to
reduce the amount of fat for cooking; Using skinless
chicken breasts; Stirring in lots of veg to
provide 2 of your 5-a-day; Keeping salt to a minimum by using
a quality organic passata that contained
less salt, and using less for seasoning.

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Comments, questions and tips

Made this twice so far, it tastes delicious! My mom and dad loved it. Will make it again...

Sal Southall

22nd Mar, 2017

5.05

This is so good full of flavour, I made it with drumsticks worked very well.

Gemmab2020

20th Nov, 2016

5.05

Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe to a t but would add more chilli powder next time.

MrsEMoss

11th Jul, 2016

2.55

Found this currently really wet & this seemed to drown away the flavour. Won't be making again

Gabi_AMJ

1st Jul, 2016

5.05

Perfect! I was looking for a healthy, easy Balti recipe to make for the family as an everyday dish- we'd gotten into a bad habit of buying a stodgy curry from the shop to stick in the microwave. This recipe is so easy and its much lighter and just as tasty as the shop-bought Balti. I followed the recipe exactly, but added more chilli powder and chopped up a red chilli pepper, coz we like it spicy. We all still found it mild, so will be adding more chillies next time.

Niamy94

6th Jun, 2016

5.05

Halved this to serve 2 and still had some leftover to stick in the freezer. Didn't bother with the lime juice and actually left it marinating overnight. Was so tasty and both cleaned their plates. I didn't have all the spices so just substituted some of them for what I had in the cupboard!

jaynepearson

28th Apr, 2016

I've made this loads of times - it serves more than 4 people! I add a couple of chopped red chillies, as it brightens up the flavour and adds heat. I've also made a veggie version, using cauliflower, potatoes and French beans - it's delicious and even lower in calories than the chicken version.

jeyleebean

26th Apr, 2016

3.8

I used a 400g can of chopped tomatoes as I didn't have passata on hand following another comment here. Overall I found this dish had too much of a strong tomato taste for my liking. I followed everything else to a tee minus the ginger. I like my curries to be a bit spicier, so add more chillies if you like this with a bite. I also doubled the spinach to up the vege amount in there. Worked out great.

Yo-Lisa

8th Mar, 2016

5.05

Made with 500g of Chicken thigh instead of chicken breast. And it was very delicious, considering my ever first time to cook a indian dish ! but I like to put more of Chillies to make it spicier !

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Use 1tsp ground cinnamon for 1 cinnamon stick,
use crushed chilli flakes for hot chilli powder & 1 small to medium green chilli,
use 1/2 tsp of ground cumin for cumin seeds, also
use 450g of chicken thighs as this meat is a lot softer and doesn't dry up like chicken breast.
Can also put garlic, onion, ginger into food processor to save some arm work!

dorothyfinch

23rd May, 2014

made this today, it is very good, will do again

nicoleinafrica

28th Aug, 2013

I always ignore the cooking time for boneless, skinless breast, 20 mins is far too long, and the meat will be dry and tough. Either use meat on the bone, or else add the (small) chopped boneless chicken right at the end of the cooking time: stir the raw, marinated chicken into the cooked sauce, stir till it is just cooked, remove from heat and serve straight away.

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